1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of wireless mobile phones. More specifically, the present invention relates to complementary features that enhance the usability of wireless mobile phones.
2. Background Information
Advances in integrated circuit and telecommunication technology have led to the development and wide spread adoption of wireless mobile client devices, in particular, wireless mobile telephones. Wireless mobile phones offer the advantage of enabling their users to be communicatively reachable by their business associates, friends and family members, wherever the users may be, as long as they are within the reach of the service networks. Thus, even non-professionals are increasingly dependent on their wireless mobile phones to meet their communication needs.
With increased usage and reliance, often times, wireless mobile phone users would find themselves in the dilemma of having to engage in potentially sensitive conversations in a setting that is less than desirable, privacy-wise. For examples, a user may find himself/herself having to engage in an urgent personal or business conversation at a bus stop while waiting for the next bus, or at an airport terminal while waiting to board his/her flight. Under the prior art, a user may have to elect to continue the private/sensitive conversation in a less than private manner, switch to another form of communication, such as email, or delay the communication. Each of these options has disadvantages. Electing to proceed with the conversation in a less than private manner may unduly expose private/sensitive information to the public. Switching communication form is inconvenient. That is true even if the user is in possession of a wireless mobile phone capable of sending and receiving emails. The reason being, any switching would likely at a minimum, disrupts the continuity of the communication.
Therefore, a more user-friendly approach to accommodating privacy sensitive communication is desired. As will be described in detail bellow, the present invention provides a data entry method that improves the ease of data entry in general, and the ease of conducting privacy sensitive communication in particular.
Note: The term “wireless mobile phone” as used in herein (in the specification and in the claims) refers to the class of telephone devices equipped to enable a user to make and receive calls wirelessly, notwithstanding the user's movement, as long as the user is within the communication reach of a service or base station. The term “wireless mobile phone” is to include the analog subclass as well as the digital subclass (of all signaling protocols).